C/C++ : Returning values by reference

example.cpp

uint32_t counter = 0;
uint32_t& get_counter(){
    return counter;
}

int main(){
    uint32_t _counter = get_counter();
    _counter += 1;

    cout << _counter << endl; // print 1
    cout << counter << endl; // print 1

    return 0;
}